New Friends and New Opportunities

I read or heard somewhere that “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” It sure sums things up nicely as I think about how I’d like to be – as a shop owner, a neighbor, a father, a friend. Without a thoughtful question, meaningful gestures, or genuine connections I don’t believe people get very far with each other.

I’m grateful – and want to say thank you – for sharing your stories as we’ve gotten to know each other. Today we’ll launch 1-Up Rewards as another way to say thanks to you, our customers, for being part of the family.

For the past 13 weeks we’ve been open I have amassed a million little notes scribbled down to remember interactions with you – partly because my memory sucks but mostly because the stories and details are interesting and fun to document.

I’ve talked about how to make a rue for gumbo with a 35-year resident of New Orleans (don’t try to use crawfish up here, btw). What it takes to be on Ski Patrol. How to produce a record. I’ve learned (but not even close to having mastered) two card tricks. How to navigate a medina in Marrakesh. Discussed the best local motorcycle routes. How much it costs to travel the world for a year. I met a young woman who moved to LA just because she could. Talked about stripping paint, power lifting, comic books, chubby babies, anniversaries, supper clubs, behavioral economics, museum curation, dentistry, fundraising, knitting a blanket, genetics, tattooing, flying planes, and where to get the best cheese curds in Wisconsin (my opinion, Graze).

If I haven’t personally had a chance to connect – or shared a laugh yet, let’s do that. The most interesting and enjoyable part of running this shop is making meaningful conversations with people. Maybe it doesn’t happen right away or every time. But I can tell you that’s what I aim for every day.